The Top Rated Doctor Who Podcast. One fan, One mic and an opinion. What more does anyone need? Daleks, TARDIS, Cybermen, Sontarans, Ood, Classic Series. Home of Whostrology and the Big Finish Retrospective.

The Doctor arrives in present day Iceland and receives a frosty reception from Inspector Yrsa Kristjansdottir when he becomes the chief suspect in a murder enquiry. But the Doctor knows that the real killer is of extraterrestrial origin.

Joining forces with Yrsa, the Doctor goes in pursuit of a ruthless alien that is hunting humans for sport. Yrsa unearths a dark conspiracy which reaches back into her own past.

Determined to expose the truth and prevent further deaths, the Doctor and Yrsa soon find themselves running for their lives, prey on the hunting ground.

when the Thirteenth Doctor finds a mysterious call for help packaged with a delivery from the galaxy's largest retailer, she and her friends get to work in finding out the cause of the distress. However, is the human 10% of the workforce rebelling against the robots, or is there a much more complicated plot going on?

@TinDogPodcast reviews the very good #DoctorWho Main Range - WARLOCKS CROSS from @BigFinish

This title was released in November 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until December 31st 2018, and on general sale after this date.

It’s time the truth was told. About UNIT. About the Cybermen invasion. About the so-called ‘Doctor’. About what happened all those years ago, at Warlock’s Cross. About the man they keep locked up in a cage, in a secret prison…

It’s time. Because UNIT scientific adviser Elizabeth Klein is going to help ensure the truth is brought to light.

This title was released in October 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until November 30th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

The Doctor and Ace are locked up. The TARDIS is gone. Things just couldn’t get worse, could they?

Of course they could. Things can always get worse — the new President of the Solar System, Josiah W Dogbolter, didn’t get where he is in life without learning that. That’s why he has a Quantum Possibility Engine. It’s a wonderful machine, creating a wonderful Solar System. And with this wonderful device, he can bring happiness and peace to all.

Possibly.

Either that or tear the universe to shreds, it’s hard to be sure which.

Arachnids in the UK was the fourth episode in the eleventh series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.

The Thirteenth Doctor finally returns Graham, Ryan and Yasmin to Sheffield, just half an hour after they had left. Notably, these new companions actively choose to travel with her at the end of this episode.

Synopsis edit The Thirteenth Doctor finally manages to bring her friends home, but with more time alone on the horizon, she soon discovers that something unnatural has happened to the eight-legged population of Sheffield. Why have they converged on an unopened hotel, and why is there a man going around like he owns the place?

Doctor Who television stories ← Previous The Ghost Monument You may be looking for Rose (TV story). Rosa was the third episode of the eleventh series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.

Set just prior to Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to surrender her seat to a white passenger, this story dealt with heavy themes, and included blatant depictions of racism, mainly directed at the Doctor's companions Ryan and Yaz.

Attempting to return home to Sheffield, the TARDIS instead drops the Thirteenth Doctor and friends in 1955 Alabama, where somebody is planning on meddling with time. Meeting seamstress Rosa Parks, the Doctor and her friends must work together to correct the flow of time and keep events in order before things go horribly wrong.

Plot It is 1943, Alabama in America. Rosa Parks is boarding a bus on her way home from work. She pays the fee but the bus driver demands she go around and get on the bus by the side entrance, given "coloured" people are forced to sit at the back while whites sit at the front. She refuses, leading the bus driver to force her from the bus and drive off without her.

By 1955, the Doctor lands her TARDIS in Alabama, remarking to Graham, Ryan and Yaz that their location is not Sheffield as planned for the ninth time. Graham corrects her it was the fourteenth attempt.

If #Class on TV wasn't for you... You will probably love it on Audio #DoctorWho Spinoff

Synopsis This title was released in August 2018. It is exclusive to the Big Finish website.

Three new adventures for the students of Coal Hill Academy, based on the television series created by Patrick Ness.

1.1 Gifted by Roy Gill

When a talent scout arrives in Shoreditch, Ram sees an opportunity to further his goals, whilst April strikes up a friendship with new boy, Thomas Laneford. Their choices draw all three to Carterhaugh House – but who is the mysterious Mab that waits for them there…?

1.2 Life Experience by Jenny T Colgan

After signing up for work experience at Sevelin Laboratories, Tanya and Ram find themselves thrust into the world of medical research. But dark secrets lie at the heart of Sevelin Industries – and not everyone can make it out alive…

1.3 Tell Me You Love Me by Scott Handcock

The school day has ended. Charlie and Matteusz find themselves alone – though not quite as alone as they first believed. Three little words could mean the difference between life and death… and Quill is the only person they can turn to.

THIS CD BOX SET IS A LIMITED PRESSING. ORDER NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

Contents

Stranded on an alien planet infamously called Desolation, can the Doctor find her way to the TARDIS as she promised her new friends? Will her newest company be of any help when they're also racing against each other? And what exactly is "the Ghost Monument"?

Contents

Stranded on an alien planet infamously called Desolation, can the Doctor find her way to the TARDIS as she promised her new friends? Will her newest company be of any help when they're also racing against each other? And what exactly is "the Ghost Monument"?

The Auctioneers. A secret global network, collecting and exploiting alien technology for maximum profit. After they threaten UNIT, the consequences are grave. Kate Stewart has vowed to take them down.

But another menace is close. The Cybermen are coming, and UNIT’s only hope could be its greatest enemy. The Master.

6.1 Game Theory by Matt Fitton

Sam Bishop is missing. Lost at sea, imprisoned with a valuable hostage, UNIT’s troubleshooter will need all his skills to survive. To save their comrade, Kate Stewart and Osgood are offered a deadly challenge. But this game might be impossible to win…

6.2 Telepresence by Guy Adams

Testing salvaged equipment, Osgood leads Colonel Shindi and Josh Carter on a strange expedition into uncharted territory. A virtual world. When the team is attacked, Kate tries to assist. But it seems the technology itself is doing all it can to keep her apart from her people.

6.3 Code Silver by Guy Adams

The Cybermen are coming. Across the barriers between universes, conquering all before them. Conquering and converting.

As her troops fight a relentless enemy, Kate battles to lock down the threat. But how long can UNIT resist?

6.4 Master of Worlds by Matt Fitton

The Cybermen are close to victory. A world under Cybercontrol. A new paradigm to expand the Cyber-race.

Fresh from the Time War, the Master arrives at the hour of Earth's greatest need. But he really doesn't care...

277 – "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"277 – "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"Doctor Who episodeDoctor Who Series 11 Episode 1 The Woman Who Fell to Earth.jpgPromotional image for the episode, displaying Yasmin (Gill), Ryan (Cole), The Doctor (Whittaker), Graham (Walsh) and Grace (Clarke)CastDoctorJodie Whittaker (Thirteenth Doctor)CompanionsBradley Walsh (Graham O'Brien)Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair)Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan)OthersSharon D. Clarke – GraceSamuel Oatley – Tim ShawJohnny Dixon – KarlAmit Shah – RahulAsha Kingsley – SoniaJanine Mellor – JaneyAsif Khan – Ramesh SunderJames Thackeray – AndyPhilip Abiodun – DeanStephen MacKenna – DennisEveral A Walsh – GabrielProductionDirected by Jamie ChildsWritten by Chris ChibnallScript editor Nina MétivierProduced by Nikki WilsonExecutive producer(s) Chris ChibnallMatt StrevensSam HoyleIncidental music composer Segun AkinolaSeries Series 11Length 63 minutesOriginally broadcast 7 October 2018Chronology← Preceded by Followed by →"Twice Upon a Time" —Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)"The Woman Who Fell to Earth" is the first episode of the eleventh series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It is written by new head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall, directed by Jamie Childs, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 7 October 2018. It is the first episode to star Jodie Whittaker in her first full appearance as Thirteenth Doctor, and introduced her new companions – Bradley Walsh as Graham O'Brien, Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan. The episode also guest stars Sharon D. Clarke, Johnny Dixon and Samuel Oatley. The story focuses on a group of people who come across a new alien threat together within Sheffield, and find themselves banding together with the recently regenerated Doctor, who has been separated from the TARDIS since the events of "Twice Upon a Time". As the group seek to understand the threat, they find themselves in danger as well, and discover that the recently arrived aliens are planning a hunt upon a single human, leading the Doctor to co-ordinate an attempt to prevent this happening and save the group from danger. This episode is the first to be led by Chibnall, alongside executive producers Matt Strevens and Sam Hoyle, after Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin stepped down at the conclusion of the tenth series, while marking the third production era of the revived series, following Russell T. Davies' run from 2005–2010, and Moffat's from 2010–2017. This episode marked a change in the programme's broadcasting schedule, with both it and subsequent episodes being broadcast regularly on Sundays, instead of Saturdays as had been done since Doctor Who was revived, while the episode premiered without the traditional opening credits, as had occurred before with "The Day of the Doctor" (2013) and "Sleep No More" (2015). Since its first broadcast in the UK, the episode has received positive reviews from critics, as well as an overnight rating of 8.20 million viewers, the highest since "The Time of the Doctor" (2013).

Contents1 Plot2 Production2.1 Development2.2 Casting2.3 Filming2.4 Promotion3 Broadcast and reception3.1 Television3.2 Cinemas3.3 Ratings3.4 Critical reception4 References5 External linksPlotRyan, a dyspraxic young man, struggles to ride a bike and throws it off the hill in frustration. Searching for it, he touches some strange lights, causing a blue pod to appear. Concerned, Ryan calls the police, receiving help from PC Yasmin Khan, an old school friend. Meanwhile, Ryan’s grandmother, Grace, her husband, Graham, and another passenger, Karl, find themselves trapped onboard their train with a floating orb of writhing tentacles and electricity. They call Ryan, and he and Yasmin head for the train, arriving just as the Doctor suddenly falls through the carriage ceiling. The orb departs after hitting everyone with an energy bolt. Karl leaves, but the others follow the Doctor, who suffers from post-regeneration amnesia. She discovers the orb implanted DNA destroying bombs into each of them, liable to explode at any time. Finding the pod has disappeared, they track it down to a warehouse. They learn that the warehouse belonged to Rahul, a local man who took the pod he connected with the disappearance of his sister but was killed when a second alien emerged from it. The Doctor, missing her sonic screwdriver, constructs another from spare parts. The group intercepts the orb creature, revealed to be a mass of biological data-gathering coils. The second alien suddenly appears, revealing himself as Tzim-Sha, a Stenza warrior hunting humans for sport, Rahul's sister the target of a previous hunt. A furious Doctor demands Tzim-Sha leave the planet, but he collects the data of his target, Karl, from the coils and teleports away. The group track down Karl, a crane operator, to a construction yard. The Doctor, Ryan, and Yasmin climb another crane to save Karl before Tzim-Sha can reach him. Tzim-Sha captures Karl, but the Doctor, recalling her identity, orders Tzim-Sha to leave him, or face losing the pod's recall device and being stranded on Earth. Tzim-Sha detonates the DNA bombs, but the Doctor reveals that she transferred the bombs into the Coils, unwittingly self-implanted by Tzim-Sha when he downloaded the data. The Doctor thrusts the recall device at Tzim-Sha and he transports himself away. Grace successfully destroys the coils but is fatally injured after falling from the crane. Following Grace's funeral, the Doctor tells the group she must find the TARDIS. After building a teleport, she bids the group goodbye, but inadvertently brings them with her into deep space.

ProductionDevelopmentIt was announced in January 2016 that the tenth series would be Moffat's final series as executive producer and head writer, after seven years as showrunner, for which he was replaced in the role by Chris Chibnall in 2018.[1] Matt Strevens serves as executive producer alongside Chibnall, as well as Sam Hoyle.[2][3] A new logo was unveiled at the BBC Worldwide showcase on 20 February 2018. This logo was designed by the creative agency Little Hawk, who also created a stylized insignia of the word "who" enclosed in a circle with an intersecting line.[4] Murray Gold announced in February 2018 that he would step down as the programme's composer, having served as the musical director since 2005, and that he would not be composing the music for the eleventh series.[5] On 26 June 2018, producer Chris Chibnall announced that the musical score for the eleventh series would be provided by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire alumnus Segun Akinola.[6] Casting Whittaker at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, where she promoted her first full series.The episode introduces Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Her predecessor Peter Capaldi departed from his role as the Twelfth Doctor after the tenth series, having played the role for three series.[7] His final appearance was in the 2017 Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time".[8] Moffat stated in February 2017 that Chibnall tried to persuade the actor to continue into the eleventh series, but despite this, Capaldi still decided to depart.[9] The search for the actor to portray the Thirteenth Doctor, led by Chibnall, began later in 2017, after he completed work on the third series of the ITV series Broadchurch, for which he is also the head writer and executive producer. Chibnall had the final say on the actor, although the decision also involved Charlotte Moore and Piers Wenger, the director of content and head of drama for the BBC respectively.[10] Media reports and bookmakers speculated as to who would replace Capaldi as the Thirteenth Doctor, with Ben Whishaw and Kris Marshall among the most popular predictions.[11] On 16 July 2017, it was announced after the 2017 Wimbledon Championships men's finals that Whittaker would portray the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor.[7] The episode also introduces a new set of companions, including Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill as Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan, respectively.[12][13] Actress Sharon D. Clarke also appears as Ryan's grandmother and Graham's wife, Grace.[12][14][15] The episode also guest stars Johnny Dixon and Samuel Oatley.[16][17] FilmingJamie Childs directed the first and seventh episode of the series in the opening production block, having directed Whittaker's introduction video as the Thirteenth Doctor.[3][18] Pre-production for the eleventh series began in late October 2017.[3] After filming for the series was expected to begin in late 2017,[10][2][19] it officially began with the first episode in November 2017.[20] The eleventh series was shot using Cooke and Angénieux anamorphic lenses for the first time in the series' history, a creative decision made in order to make the show look more cinematic.[21] PromotionThe first teaser for the series was released during the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 15 July 2018, almost exactly a year after the announcement of Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.[22][7] Whittaker, Gill, Cole, Chibnall and Strevens promoted the show with a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con on 19 July 2018,[23] where the first trailer was released.[24] Broadcast and receptionProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSource RatingRotten Tomatoes (Average Score) 8.19[25]Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) 91%[25]Review scoresSource RatingDaily Mirror 4/5 stars[26]IGN 8.7[27]IndieWire B-[28]New York Magazine 4/5 stars[29]Radio Times 3/5 stars[30]The A.V. Club B[31]The Telegraph 4/5 stars[32]The Guardian 4/5 stars[33]The Independent 4/5 stars[34]Television"The Woman Who Fell to Earth", the first episode of the eleventh series, runs for a total of 63 minutes, while the remaining episodes will run for an average of 50 minutes each, after the episode count dropped from twelve to ten for this series.[19][35] The episode was simulcast in the United States on BBC America.[36] It breaks with previous practice in not using any opening credits, similar to "The Day of the Doctor" (2013) and "Sleep No More" (2015).[37] CinemasThe premiere of the new series was held at Light Cinema in Sheffield on 24 September 2018, as part of a red carpet event for the episode and eleventh series.[38][39] "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" will be released in select Australian cinemas on 8 October 2018,[40] and in the United States from 10–11 October.[41] RatingsThe episode was watched by 8.20 million viewers overnight, making it the highest overnight viewership since "The Time of the Doctor" (2013), which received 8.30 million overnight viewers. The episode had an audience share of 40.1% also.[42][43] It also marked the highest overnight figure for a series premiere since "Partners in Crime" (2008), the opening episode of the fourth series, achieved 8.40 million viewers.[44] Critical receptionThe episode currently holds a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 8.19. The site's consensus reads "Jodie Whittaker easily embodies the best of the titular time traveler in "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" and proves that change can be a very, very good thing."[25]

@TinDogPodcast reviews the surprisingly good #Jenny The Doctors Daughter #Doctorwho Vol 1 from @BigFinish A brilliant bit of escapism and guaranteed to bring a smile

Jenny is brand new to the universe. Born a soldier, made for war, she has a Time Lord’s heritage. Luckily, that Time Lord is the Doctor.

She’s ready to save planets, fight monsters, and save the day, using nothing but her bravery, wit and instinct – and an awful lot of running.

1.1 Stolen Goods by Matt Fitton

Jenny is new to the universe and keen to explore – but in unfamiliar spaceships, accidents happen. She’s lucky to have someone on-hand to help. A slippery, fast-talking someone, called Garundel.

Soon, Jenny is mixed up in cons and explosions. But she also finds something strange, inexplicable, and as new to universe as she is. She’ll call him Noah.

1.2 Prisoner of the Ood by John Dorney

Moving into Leafield Crescent, Angie Glazebrook is surprised by an unexpected caller. But not half as surprised as Jenny, suddenly transported to a suburban close on twenty-first century Earth.

And that’s nothing to the surprise of the neighbours when alien visitors start appearing. Visitors with tentacled mouths, carrying death-dealing orbs. The Ood have come for their prisoner…

1.3 Neon Reign by Christian Brassington

The Dragon Lord rules Kamshassa with fear. Half the oppressed population live in an addicted stupor, while the other half are forced into service. Factories belch poisonous smoke, and Dragon Guards patrol the streets, condemning dissenters to the Eternal Fire.

When Jenny and Noah arrive, it’s only a matter of time before they start a revolution.

1.4 Zero Space by Adrian Poynton

Out in deep space, in the middle of – quite literally – nowhere, Jenny and Noah believe they’ve found a safe haven. And, very possibly, some answers. But the space station holds many secrets, and it won’t be long before Jenny’s past catches her up.

Bounty hunter COLT-5000 is on her trail and will stop at nothing to hunt down its quarry… even in Zero Space!

@TinDogPodcast 792: #Torchwood One - Machines from @BigFinish This is Torchwood at its best. These stories make you want to work for Yvonne! This Box set is required!

Torchwood One - we defend the British Empire. We keep everyone safe. For your own good.

Something's happened. Something's twisted its way into Torchwood One. Something old. Something which should have been forgotten, wiped, abandoned. Something which has been waiting. Something which knows how the world should be ruled, how people should be used.

When humanity's threatened, Yvonne Hartman is required.

The Law Machines by Matt Fitton

The Mayor of London is launching her bold new law and order initiative. The capital will be kept safe from crime, from fear, from terrorists. The Law Machines are launching. What could possibly go wrong?

Blind Summit by Gareth David-Lloyd

Ianto Jones has just moved to London. He's broke, has no friends, no future. One day he loses the one thing he's been holding on to, and suddenly people around him are dying. Could a mysterious woman really offer him salvation?

9 to 5 by Tim Foley

It's Monday morning. Stacey loves Mondays. Stacey loves every day. Stacey lives to work. She's a temp and she loves it. Only there's a man in the coffee queue who has a terrible warning for her. Stacey is going to die today.

@TinDogPodcast reviews @Bigfinish #TheAvengers #TooManyTargets - Its A wonderful bit of nostalgia for a superb show. This is the 5 Doctors of Avengers Law. Not to be missed

This title was released in September 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until October 31st 2018, and on general sale after this date.

Two agents are dead, and their murderers sound worryingly familiar. A killer gorilla is on the loose, a deadly disease is ravaging a distant country and an eminent doctor has been kidnapped. It's all pretty much business as usual.

But when John Steed is called in by his old boss and given an appalling task to complete, at the same time as Tara is given one that's even worse, it becomes clear that the myriad threads of a terrifying scheme are drawing together. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Steed won't be able to handle this case alone.

The Avengers are needed. All of them.

Written By: John Peel and Dave Rogers, adapted by John DorneyDirected By: Ken Bentley

@TinDogPodcast reviews the magical Diary of River Song Volume 4 from @BigFinish

When River Song visits a place where time has vanished, a genie escapes its bottle… the Discordia are freed – nihilistic time pirates, in devilish form, altering the past to make sure they never lose.

This time, River may have met her match. And involving the Doctor can only make things worse…

4.1 Time in a Bottle by Emma Reeves and Matt Fitton

River is recruited by a rival to explore a star system where time no longer exists.

Professor Jemima Still has picked up a signal from an impossible source and takes an expert team to investigate.

But their mission is about to unleash hell upon the universe…

4.2 Kings of Infinite Space by Donald McLeary

With the Discordia on their tail, River and her friends run for their lives across time and space. But when your opponent can twist cause and effect to ensure victory at every turn, then escape may well be impossible.

4.3 Whodunnit? by Matt Fitton

Melody Malone finds herself in a castle, with an assortment of strange companions.

But guests are being murdered, one by one. Time is running out for a mystery to be solved.

And Franz Kafka is hiding something in the attic.

4.4 Someone I Once Knew by John Dorney

River has tried in vain to keep the Discordia away from the Doctor. Now, as devils run riot through universal spacetime, her own past with her husband is being rewritten. There is one last hope for the universe. A love story – but one that must find an ending…

Brian Croucher played Borg in The Robots of Death and also appeared in the spin-off production Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans. He is of course also known as the second actor to portray Travis in Blake’s 7. An earlier leading role was in the fabulous children’s adventure series The Jensen Code. He also appeared in the ITV serial Quatermass, starring Sir John Mills (1979) and in the 1985 drama serial Edge of Darkness, playing the chief of security Connors

Film appearances have included roles in Burke & Hare (1971), Made (1972), The Waterloo Bridge Handicap (1978), A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979), Deadly Game (1982), Scrubbers (1983) and Underworld (1985).

His TV appearances have included roles in the thriller series Out [1978], Minder and Bottom. He also played the role of Rooky in the Southern Television series, The Famous Five.

His most recent role on the big screen has been as the mysterious Stubbs in this year’s British psychological thriller Welcome to Curiosity.

@TinDogPodcast reviews #DoctorWho Main Range 241. RED PLANETS #REDPLANETS from @BigFinish by @unamccormack Directed by @ImJamieAnderson HATS OFF TO UNA FOR A CRACKING TALE COMPLEX ENOUGH FOR THE KIDS AND EASY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW FOR THE ADULTS. PURE #DOCTORWHO

This title was released in August 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until September 30th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

London, 2017. Except... it isn't. Berlin, 1961. But it isn't that either. Not really. Not in the timeline the Doctor knows. Something is very wrong.

While Ace tries to save the life of a wounded British spy, Mel and the Doctor must get to grips with the modern day socialist Republic of Mokoshia. For Mel it feels strangely familiar and 'right', which makes the Doctor feel even more uneasy.

Soon, a message from a dark and blood-soaked distant future is on its way... But the Doctor will have to act fast to stop this timeline becoming reality.

And with Ace stranded in an alternate 1961, will saving the Earth end her existence?

Four friends, too young to be Generation X, too old to be Millennials share much; their place of work, their crap pay, and their costly and meaningless university educations. They also share something else. They are all unashamed geeks. Their love of science fiction and fantasy is the only thing that keeps them sane while they killing time while working behind the counter at “EDGE”, the dullest shop this side of Gallifrey. They each had dreams once, lost in time like Sauron’s ring or Luke’s lightsabre down an air vent on Bespin. A tale about life, love, shopping and the pursuit of mint-in-box, merchandise, “Geek Myths” more cynical than “Clerks” and more realistic than “Empire Records” A very British slice of life. If you ever had a dead end job... No love life... and a love of TV... This book is for you. This is not a sci-fi or fantasy story but it is ideal for anyone who loves these genres An affectionate and fun look at the alternative culture from the inside, at a time when interest in all things geek threatens to become mainstream, while still remaining a mystery to the masses. Written by one of our own through and through, nothing about this delightful book feels unauthentic. 5 stars out of 5 Stephen Hatcher, coordinator of The Whoovers Doctor Who Group. This book is 98k words and is written by the host of the Doctor Who: Tin Dog Podcast - @TinDogPodcast and author of Blue Box Messiah and Whostrology. This book also comes with a free sample of his next book "JANE of the AIR"

@TinDogPodcast reviews CALLAN VOLUME 01 from @BigFinish as an adaptation as Survivors. Its gritty and dark and truly brilliant.

David Callan works for The Section, a top-secret counter-espionage organisation. He’s a killer, a trained assassin, and the best at what he does.

But that doesn’t mean he has to like it.

With the aid of the burglar Lonely; fellow operative Meres; and Section secretary Liz, Callan fulfils the orders of departmental head Hunter and finds himself in very murky waters.

Murder, betrayal and model soldiers. It’s all in a day’s work for Callan.

1.1 File on a Deadly Deadshot by James Mitchell,adapted by Peter Mitchell

With Lonely posing as his gentleman’s gentleman, the section’s top operative David Callan is sent to a country estate in Northumberland to infiltrate a rich men’s shooting party. One of his companions is an assassin but which one? High living and high stakes on the grouse moors as Callan attempts to work out which of the dead-shots is a man-hunter.

1.2 File on a Classy Club by James Mitchell,adapted by Peter Mitchell

Callan finds the odds are stacked against him when he poses as a high roller at London’s top casino. His mission is to lose all his money but he almost loses his life when he stumbles into an East German spy cell. Perhaps a card sharp from Lonely’s past can help Callan turn the tables.

1.3 File on an Awesome Amateur by James Mitchell,adapted by Peter Mitchell

Callan and Meres are despatched to a cultural festival in Venice to snatch a Russian poet from under the noses of the KGB. But the success of the mission depends upon the expertise of amateur sleuth and keen ornithologist Cynthia Widgery. Feathers fly on the Grand Canal...

1.4 File on a Harassed Hunter by James Mitchell,adapted by Peter Mitchell

Callan is drawn into a dark secret when Hunter invites him to fly to Newcastle for a trip to the theatre. The plot thickens when an alcoholic actor and a decoy called Prenderghast lead Callan to one of the KGB’s most proficient killers. The setting for the denouement is far too close for comfort.

Originally broadcast in 1967, Callan took the burgeoning world of spy drama, and brought a much darker tone to the genre. With James Bond’s career beginning in film in 1962, Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer beginning in 1965 (The Ipcress File) and hot on the heels of the surreal series The Prisoner in 1967, Callan took a darker approach to espionage. Having similar responsibilities to MI5, Callan used the most ruthless and lethal techniques to get the job done, each method meticulously filed by ‘The Section’ (the organisation behind operative Callan), colour coding each lethal tactic.

Four series of the original television series were produced between 1967 and 1972, plus a cinema film released in 1974 and a TV comeback in 1981. And now, Callan is set to return on audio at Big Finish.

Adapted from series creator James Mitchell’s Sunday Express Short Stories by his son Peter Mitchell, four new adventures will expand the themes explored in the television show.

GOODBYEPICCADILLY

This could be my personal favourite Torchwood of all time! The setting is superb and the interaction is magical. Almost worth a crash course in Polari.

Sgt Andy Davidson wakes up in the 1950s. He’s chained to a bed, his clothes are missing and the building’s on fire. Norton Folgate needs his help.

The streets of Soho are swarming with gangsters, rumours and betrayals. Somewhere out there is a mysterious alien artefact, and Andy and Norton have to get to it first. Because tonight they’re going to save Torchwood.

Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners

@tindogpodcast reviews: #DoctorWho Main Range 239 Ironbright from @Bigfinish the most Steampunk story to come out of BF in ages. A psudo-historical with knobs on. A superb story from the brilliant author of #TheMiddle.

Synopsis

It's London, 1828, and the father-and-son team of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel are masterminding a dangerous project - the digging of the Thames Tunnel. There's just one problem...

The Brunels' tunnel is haunted. Every night, a spectral blue lady walks the excavation.

Now, the 22-year-old Isambard, eager to step out of his famous father's shadow, finds himself dealing with not only the supposed supernatural, but a second unexpected guest - a colourful trespasser who calls himself 'The Doctor'.

Isambard would like to know a great deal more about this strange man and his mysterious blue box...

A worthy continuation of a cult classic. these tales are so finely crafted that you dont need to have seen the original. four storming stories, more of the same please, miss this at your peril.

This title was released in May 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until June 30th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

It’s the near future, and mankind has expanded its presence in space. Maintaining law and order among this network of space stations, satellites and moon outposts is the responsibility of the International Space Police Force, known colloquially as the Star Cops. Their leader is Commander Nathan Spring.

While dealing with crimes including drug smuggling and murder, the Star Cops find themselves facing a new and sustained threat. The activist group Mother Earth, ideologically opposed to humanity’s presence in space, has been quiet for some time. But no longer. The group returns with a vengeance, prepared it seems to go to any lengths to achieve its aims.

1.1 One of Our Cops is Missing by Andrew Smith

As construction of the Vasco da Gama, the largest space station ever put into orbit, nears completion, Nathan is visited by an old friend, who asks for his help in tracking down a missing undercover officer.

Meanwhile, Inspector Priya Basu is investigating a near-fatal spacewalk accident on the space station Rakesh Sharma that may be no accident at all.

1.2 Tranquillity and Other Illusions by Ian Potter

A murder at the historic scene of the first Apollo moon landing offers few clues for the Star Cops. Why would anyone want to kill Philip Hughes, a property entrepreneur? And what has become of the mysterious woman who was with him at the time? The investigation leads to a moon outpost, where anyone may be the killer.

1.3 Lockdown by Christopher Hatherall

Tech Tower is a state of the art, high-security, high-technology building located in Paris. It seems the ideal venue for an international conference on how to counter the growing threat from the Mother Earth group.

Nathan and Priya attend as representatives of space policing. Soon, they and everyone else in the building find themselves in danger as a disruptive attack by Mother Earth coincides with a plot by criminals to carry out a high stakes robbery.

1.4 The Thousand Ton Bomb by Guy Adams

A failed bombing of Moonbase provides the Star Cops with an opportunity to strike back at Mother Earth. Paul Bailey is called on to use his undercover skills once more.

But Mother Earth is about to escalate its campaign of violence with a spectacular attack. And the Star Cops are among those in the firing line.

@TinDogPodcast reviews Torchwood 21 - We Always Get Out Alive from @BigFinish - #Torchwood Does #Carshare? PURE #Torchwood Gold - this is the stuff that wins awards!

This title was released in May 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until July 31st 2018, and on general sale after this date.

Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams are on the run from a cataclysm. They're the only survivors, and they’re driving away from the disaster as fast as they can. They’ve got to get away, they’ve got to warn the authorities, and they just can’t be late for the babysitter again.

Dim problem. After all, they’re Torchwood and they always get out alive. But this time there's something in the car with them. Isn’t there?

Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

@TinDogPodcast reviews the cracking #DoctorWho Main Range 238 - The Lure of the Nomad from @Bigfinish, A dark and witty story, so much more than a base under attack and with a simply superb guest cast.

Synopsis

This title was released in May 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until June 30th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

For thousands of years, it has drifted through space, unimpeded, forgotten, seemingly lifeless. Now, finally, it has been discovered.

Responding to a distress call from the mysterious hulk, the Doctor and his companion, space pilot Mathew Sharpe, walk into a desperate situation. The multi-tentacled semibionic Makara were tasked with renovating the abandoned craft, but now they’ve begun murdering their employers.

The Doctor soon realises that the Makara have been programmed to kill, but by whom, and for what reason? Finding out the truth will mean uncovering a secret that threatens the entire Universe.

@TinDogPodcast reviews the simply stunning new audio drama from @Bigfinish

ATA Girl is a drama inspired by the real women of the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII. From the UK and beyond, a hundred and sixty eight female pilots, alongside the men, transported a vast range of aircraft from the factories to the squadrons, sometimes flying in perilous weather conditions and without radios or instrument instruction.

One in ten ATA pilots died.

Told as a series of reminiscences from (fictitious) former pilot Amelia Curtis, the stories aim to honour these unsung heroes of WWII, whose shared passion for flying contributed so much to the war effort and who represented one of the first examples of ‘equality in the work place’ for women in the UK.

1.1 Up in the Air by Gemma Page

It’s March 1944 and young widow Daphne Coyne arrives at the Air Transport Auxiliary, having signed up to train as a new pilot. Already unsure of her decision, she is shocked to find that her estranged younger sister, Rebecca, has also joined the ATA, hoping for a chance of reconciliation. As Daphne grows close to her flying instructor, the injured former RAF pilot, David, and discovers an unexpected passion for flying, the two sisters try to navigate their broken relationship. But David has family trapped in Belgium and Daphne has a plan that could jeopardise all of their futures…

1.2 Dancing With A Spitfire by Victoria Saxton

In 1942, Glamorous ‘It Girl’, Second Officer Mina Lauderdale is enjoying her work with the ATA, flying her aircraft recklessly and living up to her nickname, ‘The Wildcard’! However, amidst all of the press attention, the partying and the endless flirting, Mina is secretly running away from an unwanted destiny. It’s only when she meets outspoken US pilot Jeanette that Mina finally begins to discover her true self and face up to the reality of who she wants to be.

1.3 Flying Blind by Helen Goldwyn

1942-43, Judith Heathcote has been with the ATA since the start and is one of the few mothers in the Corps. With her husband ‘missing presumed dead’ and her daughter living with her parents, Judith is beginning to question the sacrifices she’s making for the war effort. Seen as a maternal figure by many of her colleagues, it seems that Judith looks out for everyone but herself. So when a chance of happiness arises, she seizes upon it, only to find herself caught up in a series of events that propel her towards an unthinkable solution.

1.4 Grounded by Jane Slavin

It’s early 1945. The end of the war is closer than the pilots realise, but meanwhile there is an unexpected air raid to contend with. When the sirens sound at the ATA ferry pool, the women have to find a way to protect themselves and each other: some making it to the bomb shelter, whilst others are trapped above. Elsewhere, RAF pilot Walter (already traumatised by his war experience) has come to seek solace with ATA pilot Amelia. She and her best friend Widdley, do their best to comfort him, but with war still raging around them, they are reminded of losses suffered... and losses still to come…

237. THE HELLIAX RIFT

It feels like a return to the original @BigFinish audios. All bets are off with a new UNIT team. Spooky and emotionally centered.

Daniel Hopkins thought he knew what he was letting himself in for when he joined the top-secret UNIT organisation as its latest Medical Officer.

Racing about the countryside, chasing strange lights in the sky? Check. Defending the realm against extraterrestrial incursion? Check. Frequent ear-bashings from UNIT’s UK CO, the famously no-nonsense Lt-Col Lewis Price? Check. Close encounters of the First, Second and even Third kind? Check, check, check.

But he had no idea what alien beings were really like. Until the day of the Fallen Kestrel. Until the day he met the Doctor.

A killer has been uncovered, but the mystery is far from solved. The Doctor, Leela, K9 and their friends are on the run, pursued from all sides. All the clues point to one place - but getting there alive may prove impossible.

Something horrific is happening on Chaldera… and it has been happening for longer than anyone could possibly have realised. Now every life on the planet is at stake. Bar one.

London, 1899. After spending time in warzones abroad, Winston Churchill considers a Parliamentary career. But a memento from his visit to Cuba, four years earlier, returns to haunt him. Across the city, the Great Detective has a mysterious caller, all the way from Havana. As ruthless mercenaries wield alien powers, young Winston and Madame Vastra learn they have a mutual friend - an eccentric young man, sporting a bowtie…

Human Conflict by Iain McLaughlin

1941. The Prime Minister has much on his mind as London reels from the Blitz. When a daring mission to discover Nazi secrets bears unexpected results, Churchill heads north to retrieve technology that could win the war. But an old ally is set against his intent. Weary from his own people’s conflict, the Doctor knows that some weapons should never enter the field of human conflict.

I Was Churchill's Double by Alan Barnes

Alexandra Palace, 1942. Strange television signals show a paranoid Churchill urging on the resistance in German-occupied Britain. A man in a battered leather jacket makes a guest appearance. The broadcasts come from another world, one where the country is now part of the Kaiser’s Empire. Of course, the Doctor is involved, and while Churchill claims to understand the notion of ‘alternative histories’, he never expected to be part of one.

Churchill Victorious by Robert Khan & Tom Salinsky

VE Day, 1945. The war is over. The PM has seen the crowds and made his speech. Now he wishes to soak up the atmosphere, moving incognito among his fellow countrymen. But an alien interloper lurks in a backstreet tavern, and ‘William Churchyard’ must lead a few plucky Londoners into one more fight. The Doctor is in trouble, and at the time of his greatest victory, Churchill also faces his greatest danger...

Captain Jack is finally dying, and it's time for his oldest friend to visit his deathbed. King John has come to tell him a story. The story of the life he should have had.

It's the story of Alexander the Great, sinking ships, falling empires, robot dinosaurs, and alien invasions. It's a story of love, royal weddings, murder, mass murder, genocide, and very tight trousers.

It's the story of the life of Captain John and it's the story of Torchwood. Be careful what you wish for.

Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners

It used to be fun, Mind Running. Hopping into the heads of total strangers to see what they saw, feel what they felt. But one by one the Mind Runners are dying in a wave of suicides. And no-one on the planet Chaldera knows why.

The Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive in the city that covers all of this dying world as it prepares to evacuate its people, and they immediately find themselves involved in a mystery. Who or what is responsible for the wave of death? Is it the motorised cult known as the Digitals? The enigmatic Mr Shift?

Or did all the victims attempt to run the Night Mind, the demonic consciousness of legend that is so twisted and evil that it drives mad all who touch it?

This title was released in February 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until April 30th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

Big Finish picks up the events after Miracle Day with Torchwood: Aliens AmongUs...

Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper have restarted Torchwood. But it's in a very different Cardiff. Something terrible's happened to the city. With every day getting darker, will a new arrival prove to be the ally Torchwood needs?

5.9 Poker Face by Tim Foley

Torchwood are in trouble. Terrorist attacks are rocking the city. Control of the police has been ceded to Cardiff's alien masters. And it looks like it's all been arranged by Captain Jack Harkness. Worse, there's a dead woman in the cells who says that Torchwood will be hers by dawn.

5.10 Tagged by Joseph Lidster

"I know what you've done. I know what you'll do." The phrase starts appearing everywhere around Cardiff. On posters. On the internet. It's just a prank, isn't it? Only a wave of vigilante crime spreads through the city. People are taking revenge. Suddenly everyone knows what you've done. And they know what you'll do.

5.11 Escape Room by Helen Goldwyn

Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, and the Colchester-Prices go to try out an escape room. They've heard a lot about them. Especially this one. People keep going into the game and not coming out. But Torchwood will be fine. After all - partners can trust each other. Can't they?

5.12 Herald of the Dawn by James Goss

It starts normally enough: a car park full of ramblers is incinerated by a thunderbolt. But the next day it's clear there's something very wrong. Something's changed. Something's coming. It's the end of the world. And that's what Torchwood are best at...

@TinDogPodcast reviews the brilliant #DoctorWho Main Range 236 - Serpent in the silver mask from @BigFinish

You are cordially invited to Argentia, the galaxy’s most exclusive tax haven, to attend the funeral of mining magnate Carlo Mazzini. The memorial service will be followed by music, light refreshments, and murder!

Carlo’s heirs have come to say their final goodbyes (and find out how much they’ve inherited) but when a masked killer begins picking them off one by one, Argentia goes into lock-down, closed off behind its own temporal displacement field.

Can the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric apprehend the murderer before Argentia – and everyone on board - is forever cut off from the rest of the Universe?

The fake monk was not happy. The school party was late and he had been reduced to simply staring out of the window. In the brightly lit education suite, he had neatly laid out a collection of fake parchment and quills in order to give the primary school children a taste of life as an eighth-century monk. It felt to him that he had been doing this, day in day out, for months and he was frankly bored. He knew from the minimal research he had been required to do, that the real monks had used goatskin and octopus ink, but such extravagances were beyond most education department budgets. Idly, he straightened a pile of A4 paper, which didn’t need straightening, only to return to the window and glance across the car park for the fiftieth time that morning. The sky was the clearest blue with only wisps of white dancing in the heavens. Surely, that blue portaloo hadn’t been there this morning. How could he not have noticed it until now? Maybe the council were finally going to fix those potholes? Only… Now that he could see it properly, there seemed to be a flashing light on the top and it clearly wasn’t a portaloo at all.

Rose was not impressed with the Doctor. He had landed the TARDIS without any of the usual build-up about their destination and headed for the door. There had been no talk of strange creatures or stranger lands. The Doctor’s behaviour may have been out of the ordinary, but Rose reasoned that it must have had something to do with the sound. Moments earlier, the extraordinary time and space ship had made an extraordinary racket that sounded almost exactly like it had a stone in its shoe. Rose knew fine and well that the TARDIS didn’t have shoes to get stones into, so this was a worry. She had come out of the kitchen and headed straight to the control room, where she saw the Doctor heading past the pale coral roof supports and out of the old wooden door and into the daylight beyond. “Oi, hold on!” “Hmm,” replied the Doctor; he was distracted by his sonic screwdriver as it bleeped and flashed in a way she had never seen it do before. “Do you have any idea what we are looking for?” asked Rose in her most patient voice. “Err… no…. but I will know it when I see it.” He seemed very positive about this. “And the bleeping helps?” “The bleeping will tell me when we are close to the source.” Rose’s patience was wearing thin, “The source of what?” The Doctor stopped walking and looked directly at Rose as if she were a child. “The source of the temporal disturbance. Honestly, it’s like I don’t explain anything to you…” “You don’t. All I know is that the TARDIS started making a weird noise and then we stopped and you stormed off with that thing in your hand.” As if it were joining in the conversation, the bleep of the sonic screwdriver suddenly became slightly more frenetic, taking away the Doctor’s concentration and causing him to walk off in a new direction. “Where are we anyway?” demanded Rose as she raced to catch up with the Doctor. “You tell me, Rose Tyler.” Rose looked around. “It’s cold. And it’s Earth… England.” “Why do you say that?” “Because… unless we are in some pretty weird parallel universe, that’s a Ford Escort and that’s a Volvo.” Rose was on a roll. She took a deep breath and smelled the air. “We’re near a river or close to the sea.” “Correct on both counts,” the Doctor said, beaming. “Anything more specific?” She looked over the Doctor’s shoulder and said, “We’re in Jarrow at a place called Bede’s World, near the river Tyne. Quite close to the tunnel, apparently.” “Amazing! And how do you know that?” “There’s a whopping great sign on the other side of the road,” said Rose smugly. The Doctor beamed with delight. “Fantastic! Anything else?” “It’s a World Heritage Site and it looks like the tea shop is open. Fancy a Hobnob?” The Doctor flicked at the screwdriver until it stopped making a noise. “I don’t mind if I do. Grab your coat, you’re paying.”

Calder, son of Eric, had not always been the Viking warrior he was today. He had been nothing more than a farmer with a sideline in jewellery making, when the Northern Lights had come down to the land to visit him and him alone. It had been an ordinary afternoon in the fields when the storm had risen. It was a tempest unlike any he had seen before. In a single heartbeat, the sky had ripped apart causing his flock to scatter and Calder to shelter under the nearest tree. From his refuge he could see the incredible colours swirl and pulse as the afternoon sun twisted and bent in the storm. Suddenly, a gash of darkest night filled the air above him. Beyond the hole in the sky, the stars swooped and curved, with a single shooting star at its centre, resembling a pendant of the gods. And then it was gone. Like a vivid dream, it passed and seemed to leave nothing but a memory. Calder shook his head as if to shake something loose, only finally to look up and see a small trail of smoke on the other side of the hill. He ran, stumbling over loose rocks to see what was beyond the crest of the hill. He arrived to find a short furrow in the ground, smoother than any plough could have made, with a small mound at one end. Calder could see something small and black embedded in the earth. He reached out and grabbed it. From that moment onwards, he was a changed man. Now, all of these year later, he stood on the prow of the longboat and looked deeply at his left hand, examining the stone that had changed him so much. It was the shape of half an apple and blacker than a winter’s night. Across its surface a billion points of light. The stone had taken him and his brethren on so many journeys. It had guided them from their homes in the West, across the seas to the fertile land again and again, only to have him return with a hold full of treasures and slaves and always an all-consuming feeling of loss. Calder was their guide; he used the stone from the heavens, the obsidian map of the sky to point the way, always listening to its silent whisper. Until today – today there was no wind; there were no birds in the sky and only tiny ripples on the surface of the water beneath the hulking mass of the longboat. Tentatively, Calder’s friend Tarben had suggested releasing the ravens in order to find the direction of the nearest land. Magic stones were one thing but the crew were realists. Calder had told them to be patient; the stone would show the way. After all, it had never let them down before.

The tea shop was a small affair with a view over the river and beyond. Through the bay window, Rose could see the port with thousands of identical cars neatly lined up, ready for distribution around the world. They had come in through the main entrance which also acted as a small gift shop, complete with pointless stationary and guidebooks. The woman behind the counter had a smile as wide as the Doctor’s and had welcomed them in like a seasoned pro. “Welcome to Bede’s World, home of the Venerable Bede. As well as the Monastery and Visitors’ Centre, we have a special exhibition on at the moment with some of the finest examples of…” “Is the coffee shop open?” interrupted Rose. “Yes, it is. And we do a storming hot chocolate, pet.” “Pet?” said the Doctor, worried that the TARDIS translation circuits might be on the blink. “Aye, pet. The tea is nice too… I can bring it over if you like? Have you come far?” Rose smiled to herself. “Oh, about six parsecs as the crow flies,” said the Doctor absent-mindedly. “Yeah you sound like you’ve come a long way. That accent… Somewhere in the South…? Manchester…?” “South?!” sniggered Rose. “Oh yes, pet lamb. Anything beyond Sunderland is the South as far as we’re concerned,” half joked the woman behind the counter. The Doctor was clearly affronted and headed for the comfiest looking chair for solace. “Your friend a bit touchy about his accent? Never mind. Now, what shall I get you?” Rose ordered then joined the Doctor. “Did that woman really call me ‘pet lamb’?” With a snort of derision, the Doctor busied himself with his screwdriver once again. “I’ve ordered you a tea, if that’s all right…” The Doctor didn’t answer. “What’s up? Gone off in a huff because you aren’t quite northern enough?” She tittered. “I’ll have you know I used to be Scottish. Is that northern enough?” he said, then stared out of the window. Whispering to himself, “And, for all I know, I might be again one day.” Clearly she had touched a nerve. “You don’t half talk some rubbish… So… What’s all this about then?” “I have my suspicions about what made the TARDIS…” The Doctor started to wave his hands about as if to explain something complex. “…Make an appalling noise and put you in a bad mood?” “Yeah! Only… it shouldn’t be possible. Not here, not now.” The drinks arrived and broke the conversation. “One tea and one hot chocolate, both with complimentary biscuits. Enjoy your visit. Make sure you see the special exhibition and be careful of that dig site. God only knows when they will be back.” At the mention of a dig site the Doctor sprang to his feet, almost knocking over his tea. Looming over them was a fake monk.

Calder smiled. A smile that the crew knew of old. That magic stone of his was telling him something. The wind began to rise and they were on the move again.

The monk stood directly in front of the Doctor and Rose. His face was full of nervous energy, which Rose found more than a little appealing. Suddenly the Doctor became tense. As Rose glanced in his direction, she could see that all of the usual warmth had evaporated from his face. He regarded the figure in front of them with the sort of suspicion he usually reserved for the galaxy’s most wanted criminals, rather than a man in a brown habit. The two men faced each other in silence. “Welcome to Bede’s World,” said the monk. “I am the Venerable Bede, born in 672 and died on the twenty-sixth of May, 735.” He paused for effect. “And I will be your guide today around my world. A world of knowledge and darkness and light and…” He paused. “And inspiration!” shouted the woman from the counter. “Gary, the line is ‘and inspiration.’” “You really know how to spoil the moment, Doreen… Anyway I thought the line was ‘and faith.’” “They changed it at the last meeting, which you would know if you had been on time. You know, we never get this problem with Pete. Now there is someone who really inhabits the role.” The truth dawned on the travellers. “Inhabits the habit,” joked the Doctor, his smile quickly returning. Gary, the fake monk, was not happy with Doreen. “Look, it’s Pete’s day off and I am Bede today.” Rose felt sorry for the man in brown. “Don’t worry… Gary, is it? I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it… Why don’t you tell us more about this place? Think of it as a practice run.” Doreen was still unimpressed. “Shouldn’t you be with that school group?” “They called and said they were running late. Engine trouble outside Middlesbrough, or something.” “There you go,” said the Doctor. “Gary can tell us all about the place before the school gets here.” “For a start, you can tell me who this Bede bloke actually was,” said Rose.

It felt like it had been raining for months. The land squelched underfoot. The sky, the river and the sea beyond were all the same dark murky grey. Beyond the pond, where the trout waited until Fridays, lay the wooden fence which held the young goats, next to the tanning shed, where the living raw materials were turned into parchment and would form part of their greater purpose. Beyond the rudimentary farm was the small, wooden jetty, the edge of which disappeared into the light fog over the river Tyne. The mist spread its tendrils out across the land, and yet the sun was fighting through increasingly larger gaps in the gloom, allowing shafts of light to warm the land. A small bell rang calling the monks to prayer, dragging them away from one form of devotion to another, their rough garments soaked from the constant drizzle. The heavy air made everything sound so much closer than normal. The echoing ring of the bell was both muffled and yet piercing, and the constant bleating of the goats seemed more immediate than usual. Most of the monks now stood in the chancel in silent contemplation while one, standing at a wooden lectern, was reading from the Scriptures. As always, one of their number was not at prayer. Novice Randal had a considerably more earthly task to fulfil. At the edge of the jetty, he sat listening to the sound of his brothers’ devotions travelling gently on the breeze, while his eyes were firmly fixed on the horizon. This was an important job reserved for the novices of the order, as the younger monks had better eyes and could see further. It was Randal’s job to keep a watch out for ships. Some would carry emissaries or pilgrims, while others brought those with darker motives. It had been some time since the last Viking attack, but you never knew when an innocent looking trading ship would conceal different intentions. He did not know which would be worse: to die or to be sold into slavery. He had read the accounts of attacks on monasteries further up the coast. Such earthly horrors kept Randal awake at night. For a fleeting moment, the sun fought the mist and won. At first Randal couldn’t be sure. He blinked and strained his eyes. Yes, there it was, he was certain now. He could make out a black dot on the horizon and it seemed intent on heading their way.

As the Doctor, Rose and Gary (the fake Bede) walked away from the Visitors’ Centre and down the small incline, the sounds of modern life went on around them. On the river, a gigantic tanker floated its way out to sea, while in the distance massive cranes were being dismantled. All around, the constant murmur of traffic impinged on this island of tranquility. Gary explained as they walked, “In all honesty, I’m just an actor in between gigs… And a bit of ‘theatre in education’ always looks good on your CV.” “You were going to tell us about Bede,” reminded Rose. The Doctor interrupted, “Bede was a monk and a historian who wrote one of the first history books.” “I think she was asking me,” said Gary, “but like he says, Bede was this priest who wrote… Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum…” He pronounced the Latin words with exaggerated care. “I knew I’d get that right.” “And what’s that when it’s at home?” The Doctor couldn’t help himself: “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. It’s the first history book to use the AD system of dating. Without that book, you lot would know even less than you do.” Rose gave the Doctor a gentle punch in the arm. “Is it me or is it getting nippy?” “Time displacement does that… Or it could just be the wind off the sea.” “I’m just glad I get to keep my thermals on underneath this habit.” “That’s hardly historically accurate,” joked Rose. “And neither are his sandals.” “I’ll have you know, if eighth-century monks had had access to Crocs as comfortable as these, they would have worn them.” They were now getting closer to the actual monastery and could see it in more detail: a squat church made from heavy stone. Gary continued with pride, “We’ve always got archaeologists of one type or another poking around. It’s not like when Time Team came…” “Time Team?” asked the Doctor with interest. “It’s a TV show. Now shush and let Gary tell us about the place,” said Rose. Gary smiled. “Well, it was long before my time; they made a hell of a mess and they didn’t find anything much of interest, just a few pots and a lot of dead goats.” “Dead goats?” “Yeah, goat skin is what the monks made their special paper from,” explained Gary. “This lot are from the university; they only come a couple of times a week… The trench is just round this corner.” The Doctors sonic screwdriver began to buzz once more.

Novice Randal ran for all he was worth. The mist had cleared enough for him to be sure that the oncoming ship was the Norsemen returning. They had reached the river mouth itself. He had to raise the alarm. His feet pounded the soft earth, almost kicking a chicken as he ran haphazardly towards the church and his unsuspecting brothers. The large wooden door felt as light as a feather as he pulled it open with all of his strength, the fear coursing through his body. Eyes turned to him and he shouted a single word: “Vikings.” Every moment counted before an attack. Some of the older monks had sharp memories of times when the Norsemen had come and taken their friends and precious artefacts. Panic gripped them all.

Rose was not impressed; after all, if you have seen one hole, you have seen them all. “There’s not much to look at it, is there,” she said, stating the obvious. The Doctor thought for a moment. “I don’t know, you can tell a lot from a hole.” “You can?” asked Gary. “Like what?” “Well, for a start, you can tell that there aren’t any archaeologists about.” “I did say they only come a few days a week. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’re due tomorrow,” Gary explained. Rose joined in: “Go on then Mr. Smarty-Pants, what else can you tell from this hole?” “Well, the ground has been recently disturbed.” “Yes, it’s a hole, someone dug a hole. They disturbed the ground. That’s how you make holes.” The Doctor gave Rose the same sort of hard stare that Paddington Bear was famous for. “The earth at the bottom of the hole has been disturbed. There…” He pointed. “That line down the middle. The darker, dryer earth, it looks burnt.” Now that the Doctor had mentioned it, it was obvious. “I’m guessing it rained last night,” inquired the Doctor. “Bucketed down,” said Gary. “Why do you ask?” “Because whatever made that mark in the dirt happened after the rain and left a dry scorched line…” He peered into the ditch. “And as there are no muddy footprints, we know your students haven’t been anywhere near. I’m guessing whatever did it is still down there.” “Ohhhh! Get you! The new Mr. Holmes,” Rose quipped. “It’s a shame really,” said Gary. “What is?” asked the Doctor. “That we aren’t allowed down there to see what it is.” “Tell that to Rose,” replied the Doctor as Rose jumped into the hole.

The monks had only moments to act but they had prepared. With a few swift swings of an axe, the jetty had collapsed into the river and now lay beneath the surface. This would only delay the landing, but there was no point in making it easy for the invaders. The novice monks had very precise instructions: they were to go to the library and rescue as many of the books as they could carry. Each one had been given a specific tome to protect. They were to run and hide in the woods, and only come back once it was safe to do so. The older monks would defend the buildings for as long as they could. Once Randal had reached the library, a small room off the cloister, he was pleased to see that most of the other books had already been rescued. Only one remained and it was in the hands of the old monk, Brother Bede. The scholar was muttering to himself about the Norsemen and about how they would never take his life’s work. In his hands he held his history book. Randal had yearned to read it for himself and hoped one day to do so. It had taken years to complete, and the old man was not going to let it go. Quickly, the novice decided to do the only thing that was available to him: he would rescue the book and its author. Together they would protect the book. The knowledge would not go up in flames like so much had done in the past. He was convinced that the Norsemen might burn the church, but they would not take these words. By the time they left the small room, it was already too late – the Vikings had arrived, splashing and slashing their way on to the land. Some of the warriors had split from the main force and were busy gathering up the animals, while the others burned the tannery. From the mists of the river they came, organized and strong. At their head was a single figure holding a sword in one hand and a small black rounded object in his other. The sword was already dripping with blood. “We must go!” the young novice urged the older monk. Seconds later, the warrior was on them.

The jump into the hole was further than Rose had been expecting, but she had managed to avoid twisting her ankle. And, after all, any landing you can walk away from is a good one. “Hold your horses, Rose, I’m coming down,” said the Doctor, as he jumped the short distance, much to the protestations of Gary. “I only brought you here so that you could have a look.” From his position in the hole, the Doctor looked up and smiled his goofiest of grins. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to have a look… and maybe a poke around. But mainly a look.” Gary gave in. “Hold on then, I’ll come too… I suppose someone from the museum should be present.” “That’s the spirit, come on down.” Gary slowly slid himself down the side of the hole, revealing the manufacturer of his underwear at least twice before arriving at the bottom. “They’re rather anachronistic, aren’t they?” said the Doctor judgmentally. “Do you mind!?” said Gary, as he straightened his robes. “I’m only joking,” said the Doctor. “No, not you, her! I said, do you mind not poking about! Do you want to damage any priceless artefacts?” “Since when is mud priceless? I just want to have a look.” Gary still seemed unimpressed: “You look with your eyes, not your hands.” Rose bent down. “I think there’s something in there.” “Whatever it is, don’t touch it. I want to take a reading,” said the Doctor, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. Gary moved forward, making a grab for Rose’s shoulder. “I told you not to touch anything.” As he touched her, she must have made contact with the thing that had made the gash in the dirt. It was small and black, and looked as if it contained a million tiny dancing points of light in the night. “I just want to have a…” And then Rose and Gary were gone… leaving the Doctor alone in the trench.

Randal was terrified; his master held tightly onto his greatest possession, clutching it safely to his chest. They both knew they were about to die. Randal knew that the Norsemen had no interest in the sacred words. Grimly, he realized that his last thoughts would be about the loss of the text, rather than concern for his own passing. The old man suddenly seemed to be at peace, as if he knew his destiny and was willing to accept it without question. He pushed the novice to one side and urged the boy to run, forgetting the manuscript clutched in his hands. The Viking was huge, at least two spans taller than the monk, and he had clearly seen battle. With a distant look in his eye, he raised his sword, ready to dispatch the old man. The monk simply held out a hand in friendship, his faith guiding his actions. This caught the Viking off guard, and he froze with his sword ready to strike. The monk touched the Viking’s sword-less hand, breaking the moment. The sword came down and hit the book with so much force that it embedded itself into it. In the same movement, the old monk touched something smooth in the warrior’s hand. There was a flash like lightning… and both monk and Viking were gone. Novice Randal stood in disbelief; had God taken his master and his attacker to heaven? Was this the Rapture? Standing before him, where his master had once stood, there was now an angel with purest yellow hair and standing next to her, her herald, a monk in the cleanest habit he had ever seen.

If the Doctor had been surprised by the disappearance of Rose and Gary, he was even more surprised by the sudden appearance of the huge Viking and a more authentic-looking monk holding the tattered and smouldering remains of a book.

The angel remained still, in a crouching position, her hands held as if unexpectedly and suddenly empty of something that they had previously been holding. The look on her face told of her confusion, but then which of God’s creatures would not be confused, after a fall from heaven? The blinding flash had attracted the attention of all the Vikings. Randal watched their confusion as they struggled to understand the disappearance of their leader. For a moment, there was silence, then an uncertain muttering. Randal knew enough of their strange tongue to pick out some of the words: “It’s magic! Thor has taken Calder! What have we done to anger him? It’s Freya! She’s not taking me to Helheim.” As the young monk watched, panic set in and the Vikings ran, back towards their ship, abandoning their captured treasures and animals. Randal felt a surge of pity for the Vikings, who seemed to have taken this angel for one of their own heathen gods, when clearly she had been sent from On High to save the monks from these savage invaders.

Rose gathered her thoughts. She was in almost exactly the same spot, only the ferry terminal, Visitors’ Centre and car park were all gone. The ancient church looked newer and there were more wooden buildings dotted around. With astonishment, she noticed the group of people running towards the river – who seemed to be a group of Vikings. Admittedly they were Vikings without horns on their helmets, but nevertheless they were clearly the warriors of legend. It also occurred to her that her sudden appearance may have grabbed their attention. Not one to let an opportunity slip – the Doctor had taught her that – she stood up and looked directly at the young novice. “Hello, I’m Rose.” It was then she noticed Gary, the fake monk, lying at her feet, with an expression of utter disbelief on his face.

At the Viking’s feet lay something the Doctor recognized. The Doctor smiled to himself in realization of what had happened. Oblivious to his change in circumstances, the Viking raised his sword once more, taking the heavy book in which it was still lodged with it. He lifted the weapon high above his head and again prepared to dispatch the cowering monk. “Oi, we’ll have none of that!” shouted the Doctor as he brought his sonic screwdriver level with the new arrivals. The blue light on the end pulsed and the book on the sword blade burst into flames, showering the Viking’s head in debris and breaking his concentration once and for all. The Viking stood in silence, finally aware of his new surroundings. “What magic is this?” he spat. “Now… I think one of you has something that doesn’t belong to you,” said the Doctor. “Is this Valhalla? Or Helheim…?” continued the confused Viking. “No, this is Jarrow. Just off the A19… Now, like I said… one of you has something that doesn’t belong to them… Small black stone?” Automatically the warrior raised his left hand. It was clear that he had no control over his actions: the stone was guiding him. With the Viking’s palm open the Doctor could see the hemisphere reacting to his words, a million points of swirling light danced. The Doctor spoke to the stone directly, “You are beautiful… and I think you’re looking for your friend, aren’t you?” As if in answer, the pattern of stars shone in unison, and the stone slipped from the warrior’s hand and into the Doctor’s. The Viking’s expression changed almost instantly, as if he had been released from a long captivity. “Well, I think your friend is over here in the mud.” Carefully the Doctor took the Viking’s stone over to the other, which remained embedded in the mud. Gently, he laid them together. A white light glowed and then began to shine like a small sun as the two halves became a single ball of energy. “I think we can leave those two to get reacquainted for a bit, don’t you?” The Doctor turned his attention to the two confused humans. “Now, did either of you see a girl in a white puffer jacket? She was probably with a very surprised-looking monk.” The old monk ignored the Doctor’s question; he was weeping at the smouldering remains of his life’s work, now reduced to little more than a pile of ashes. He had used it to defend himself from the blow from the sword, but the stranger’s wand had utterly destroyed it. “Erm… Sorry about the book… Here, let me help you up.”

Once the Vikings had gone, things began to return to normal at the monastery. Even the novelty of having an angel among them had worn off after a few days. Rose and Gary had settled in quite well. They had started by lending a hand where they could, and Gary had even suggested more than a few changes to the overall layout, using all he could remember from the scale model in the foyer of the Visitors’ Centre. He was experiencing life in the eighth century first-hand and was surprisingly adept at the general day-to-day tasks such as milking the goats. He had even taken to attending early morning prayers. Rose was sure that Gary wouldn’t have thrown himself into his new life quite so quickly, if she hadn’t been able to calm him down and had assured him that that the Doctor would be along to rescue them sooner or later; so they may as well make the best of things while they waited. This news had cushioned the shock to his system, and being treated like a visiting angel wasn’t something Rose was going to turn down. She knew in her heart that the Doctor would arrive… sooner or later. It was however the best part of a month before she heard the familiar tones of the materializing time machine in the cornfield that would one day be the visitors’ car park. With a familiar squeak, the wooden door opened and revealed the Doctor and a smiling elderly monk looming over the Doctor’s shoulder. “We just had to drop off a couple of friends before I picked you up. I hope you don’t mind.” Hiding her joy from her travelling companion, Rose said, “We’ve been here almost a month, Doctor. Honestly, for someone with a time machine, you really have no idea about time.” “You haven’t been changing history behind my back, have you?” joked the Doctor. “I had this confused Viking to take home, but he seemed pleased enough to be back amongst his own people. And he did promise to give up on the pillaging and concentrate more on trade… so that’s okay then.” “So who was this other person you had to drop off?” Rose asked. Smugly, the Doctor explained, “Oh, that was just your standard sentient time- and space-travelling sphere.” “Come again?” The Doctor loved these moments: “That rock you touched… It was part of a couple who escaped the Time War.” “A couple? It was a rock. Was it a ‘silicon life form’?” Rose grasped at a sci-fi reference in order to make sense of the Doctor’s words. “No, don’t be silly, silicon life is incredibly rare. This was graphene life.” Rose was catching up: “So it was a couple? There were two rocks?” “Yes, a couple… You know… a mummy and daddy, pair bond, lovers… that sort of thing. And they were attacked… out there.” The Doctor pointed up, beyond the sky and towards the infinity of space. “They were split and they fell through time onto the Earth. One of them could influence time and the other, space. Together they’re quite formidable.” The Doctor looked off into the distance. “You know, strictly speaking, they shouldn’t have been able come to Earth at all… Well, not after some bright spark time-locked this whole planet at the beginning of the War.” Rose knew when he was remembering the dark times in his life, and touched his shoulder gently. “Doctor, sometimes I have no idea what you’re talking about. So are Mister and Missus Rock okay now?” “Let’s just say a shiny rock found its friend and they have gone back home, amongst the stars… to start again.” Novice Randal had heard the strange sound and came running from the other side of the buildings. He threw his arms around the old monk, before remembering his place and stood back, still contemplating the miracle of his master’s return. “Thank you. You truly are an angel,” he whispered to Rose. “Look Randal, we’ve talked about this… I’m no angel.” “That’s true,” said the Doctor. “It is good to see you again, Brother” said Randal to the old monk. “We thought we had lost you forever.” The old monk smiled. “Don’t worry, my son, it takes more than an angry Viking and a few magic journeys to take me away from my work.” “Do you still have the book, Brother?” “Sadly, the book was destroyed… But we can still make another.” “How?” The old monk simply held up his hands as if in prayer. “The Lord will provide.” In the monk’s hands, Rose noticed a Penguin edition of Bede’s own famous history book. “So how come me and Gary ended up here?” asked Rose. “Well, the hemisphere in this time wanted to be with its partner in your time. It used your spare artron energy to shift itself through time… dragging you and Monkey Boy along in its wake.” Gary had finally arrived, wheezing into view. “Rose tells me you can take me home in your magic box.” “Magic box?!” The Doctor appeared to be affronted. “There is nothing magical about it. It’s simply a box that’s bigger on the inside that can go anywhere and anywhen… What is in any way magical about that?” “So you can take me home again?” “If that’s what you want, yes.” “Hell yes! I’ve got a classroom full of kids, and I’ve got so much to tell them. Now that I’ve experienced life as a real eighth-century monk first-hand… I’m the ultimate in living history.” “Well, let’s get you home then. Into the TARDIS with you both.” Before the Doctor closed the door, he popped his head out for one last word: “Oh and Bede… One more thing… Try and check some of your facts will you?”

After saying his goodbyes, Gary headed out of the thing he had mistaken for a portaloo and headed across the car park, up towards the Visitors’ Centre. The genuine monk sandals made an odd scraping noise as he walked. Gary hoped that brother Randal would be happy with his Crocs and that the archaeologists wouldn’t get too upset if they found them in their ditch. His head was full of new ideas about the things he wanted to teach the children – and according to the Doctor, the coach would be here in a few moments. “You look awful,” said Doreen as Gary walked through the doors. “This is one-hundred-per-cent authentic Dark Ages monk,” replied Gary as he headed to the teaching room, full of new-found confidence. Outside the classroom, Gary paused to look at the new exhibition – Marginalia, the marks made by monks on manuscripts, beside the columns of text. He stopped to read an information panel, which explained how these doodles had revealed new and exciting facts about life long ago. The most mysterious of them all was from Bede’s history of the British people: a drawing of an angel with a Saxon inscription, “Réðnes Heoruwearg.” Underneath was the translation: “Bad Wolf.”

Before setting forth on that inevitable journey, none is wiser than the man who considers – before his soul departs hence – what good or evil he has done, and what judgement his soul will receive after its passing. —Bede’s Death Song

This title was released in January 2018. It is currently exclusive as a download to the BF website

When attacked on an alien world, Leela falls unconscious… only to wake in another time, another place.

She is in the Crowmarsh Institute on Earth, in London, in 1978, and everyone is calling her Doctor Marshall. They tell her the world she has known is but a fantasy, a delusion, and that this place is the one that is real.

Surrounded by familiar faces on unfamiliar people, Leela knows what is true and what is false. But how long can she believe when everyone around her says it’s a dream? What’s really happening here?

a new @UFO_Cast Episode 10 – The Responsibility Seat February 16, 2018 Straker and Freeman switch places. Who has the more difficult job? A podcast about Gerry Anderson's UFO featuring @TMDWP and @TinDogPodcast

@TinDogPodcast reviews #DoctorWho Main range 235. GHOST WALK If ever there was a @BigFinish story ideal for TV adaptation this is it. Perfectly capturing the 5th Doctors Time and the companions shine

This title was released in February 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until March 31st 2018, and on general sale after this date.

This is a city of ghosts and no-one knows them better than Leanne. Twice a night she leads tourists to visit the most haunted sites - the Hanging Yard, the Witch Pool, the Screaming House, and, of course, the Catacombs.

Leanne’s realised the ghosts of the city are real. Something’s lurking in the Catacombs - an ancient force that has been growing in the darkness for centuries. Sabaoth is returning and they must be stopped before they devour the world. Leanne knows this, because a ghost told her.

Finding themselves in a seemingly deserted spaceship on an alien world, the Doctor and Leela stumble into some familiar foes - the Voc robots from the planet Kaldor - and… something else. Something outside. Trying to get in.

Reviving the robot’s Kaldoran commander from hibernation, the travellers discover that they’ve found themselves in the middle of a civil war. The ship was hunting the Sons of Kaldor, an armed resistance group working with alien mercenaries to initiate regime change on their homeworld.

But now the Sons of Kaldor may have found them. The Doctor and Leela will have to pick a side. Or die.

This title was released in February 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until March 31st 2018, and on general sale after this date.

'No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s…'

A curiosity falls to Earth on Horsell Common, and a nightmare begins. England is laid waste by huge fighting machines, armed with devastating heat rays. Humanity brings its own weapons to bear upon the invaders, but can they be any match?

Trapped in a war of two worlds, one couple battles to survive. Herbert and Amy bear witness to… The Martian Invasion of Earth.

This title was released in January 2018. It will be exclusively available to buy from the BF website until February 28th 2018, and on general sale after this date.

The Sons of Kaldor by Andrew Smith

Finding themselves in a seemingly deserted spaceship on an alien world, the Doctor and Leela stumble into some familiar foes - the Voc robots from the planet Kaldor - and… something else. Something outside. Trying to get in.

Reviving the robot’s Kaldoran commander from hibernation, the travellers discover that they’ve found themselves in the middle of a civil war. The ship was hunting the Sons of Kaldor, an armed resistance group working with alien mercenaries to initiate regime change on their homeworld.

But now the Sons of Kaldor may have found them. The Doctor and Leela will have to pick a side. Or die.

The Crowmarsh Experiment by David Llewellyn

When attacked on an alien world, Leela falls unconscious… only to wake in another time, another place.

She is in the Crowmarsh Institute on Earth, in London, in 1978, and everyone is calling her Doctor Marshall. They tell her the world she has known is but a fantasy, a delusion, and that this place is the one that is real.

Surrounded by familiar faces on unfamiliar people, Leela knows what is true and what is false. But how long can she believe when everyone around her says it’s a dream? What’s really happening here?

The Mind Runners by John Dorney

It used to be fun, Mind Running. Hopping into the heads of total strangers to see what they saw, feel what they felt. But one by one the Mind Runners are dying in a wave of suicides. And no-one on the planet Chaldera knows why.

The Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive in the city that covers all of this dying world as it prepares to evacuate its people, and they immediately find themselves involved in a mystery. Who or what is responsible for the wave of death? Is it the motorised cult known as the Digitals? The enigmatic Mr Shift?

Or did all the victims attempt to run the Night Mind, the demonic consciousness of legend that is so twisted and evil that it drives mad all who touch it?

The TARDIS crew are about to find out.

The Demon Rises by John Dorney

A killer has been uncovered, but the mystery is far from solved. The Doctor, Leela, K9 and their friends are on the run, pursued from all sides. All the clues point to one place - but getting there alive may prove impossible.

Something horrific is happening on Chaldera… and it has been happening for longer than anyone could possibly have realised. Now every life on the planet is at stake. Bar one.

Roj Blake. Kerr Avon. Names that sent shockwaves through the galaxy, shattering the foundations of the Terran Federation and giving hope to the oppressed. But what is their legacy? Crusading heroes or dangerous enemies of the state?

In the early days of Blake’s rebellion, the Liberator comes to Malanar Delta to aid resistance leader Avalon, but the crew find Space Commander Travis and his Federation forces waiting. An abandoned Federation research project could give Travis the key to finally bringing Blake to justice.

Years later, in the aftermath of the Galactic War, Avon and the Liberator crew fight to survive as new battle lines are drawn and alliances forged by President Servalan. Will survival be enough when a symbol of hope is turned into a devastating engine of war?

On the planet Cicero Prime, the kingdom of Cardenas is divided, with the whole population forced to swear allegiance to either the effete Duke or the fiery, hard-edged Duchess. This is a situation both parties have grown tired of. What use is half a kingdom when, thanks to a carefully engineered murder, you could have it all?

Surely, neither of them would be rash enough to summon the deadly off-world assassin The Scorpion to help with their problem? And surely, this terrifying figure wouldn’t arrive wearing a long cream coat and striped trousers…?

When a Spanish scientist kills himself in an explosion at a secret test facility, Counter-Measures are called in to salvage anything they can from the wreckage. But someone else is stalking the scene - and they're determined that whatever is lost will stay lost.

As Rachel is reunited with an old flame, she finds herself drawn into the heart of a mystery. What exactly was Doctor Javier Santos working on? And who exactly is trying to prevent its discovery?

2. The Ship of the Sleepwalkers by Christopher Hatherall

The Counter-Measures team wake on a luxury cruise, with no knowledge of how and when they got onboard. Who has brought them here, and why?

As their investigations deepen, they find themselves in the middle of an international conspiracy, with enemies on both sides. How can they escape when they can’t even trust each other?

3. My Enemy’s Enemy by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky

Glamorous international arms dealer, Lady Suzanne Clare, has come to town and is offering herself into the hands of Counter-Measures. The price: her own safety. But can their former nemesis ever really be trusted?

With one of their own side seemingly working for the enemy, the race is on to prevent a disaster. But who are they really fighting? And what does Lady Clare really want?

4. Time of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen

A strange voice is interrupting TV broadcasts across the capital, and bear-like creatures are raiding factories, stealing equipment and killing guards. The Great Intelligence and his army of Yeti have returned. And there’s only one team that can stop them.

Familiar with their foe, Sir Toby calls on the help of Edward Travers to defeat the menace. But without the Doctor to help them, can the Intelligence ever be stopped?

@TinDogPodcast reviews the Brilliant #DoctorWho First Doctor Box set from @BigFinish

James Dreyfus is instantly one of the Best Masters of all time. an Inspired performance in a classic audio.

1.1 The Destination Wars by Matt Fitton

The TARDIS arrives in a gleaming utopia in the Space Year 2003. Has the Doctor truly brought Ian and Barbara home, to glimpse their future?

The world owes much to its legendary Inventor, and Susan finds herself face to face with the great benefactor. But soon, the time travellers are in a world at war and the Doctor must confront his past.

1.2 The Great White Hurricane by Guy Adams

Rival gangs turn streets into battlegrounds, and the Doctor and his friends are caught in the crossfire. They find themselves separated, and lost in the cold.

As the hunt for a fugitive turns ever more desperate, a blizzard descends. The snow keeps falling. And soon it will prove as deadly as any weapon...